There is a need for a viable solution for dissipating heat in electrical components of a solar powered high altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Free airflow at altitudes greater than 60,000 feet becomes ineffective at dissipating heat since the air has substantially less density than it has on the earth's surface. Low speed, high altitude UAVs have a substantially thick boundary layer between free flowing air and the wing's surface, effectively acting as insulation. Furthermore, the solar array itself absorbs substantial heat from the sun in operation, dissipating this into the nearby environment and effectively raising the environmental temperature for nearby components.
The result of these conditions can cause electronics disposed near the solar cell arrays to heat up significantly beyond their specified operating temperatures, and in some cases, eventually go into thermal runaway. Conventional heat sinks are typically heavy and not well suited for light weight applications, such as aerial vehicles, where they can cause high drag penalties when exposed on exterior surfaces.